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Post subject: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 and 3
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:20 am
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Hi

I want to get a mustang amp. There are a few things that make me wonder what version to get.

I will most likely use it mostly at home. Although there may be times I would use it at a s small practice venue. I guess not taking price into account that the Mustang 3 is overkill.

Then I am curious about the ease of use of the control panel. It looks like the Mustang 3 upwards has a better interface to dial in the settings. Whereas the 1 and 2 you will need to use Fuse. Is that pretty easy to use then?

I guess I am trying to make sure I get the best sounding version for the environment I am going to use it in along with the easiest usability.

2 and 3 is probably too loud for home use...2 and 3 sounds better via speakers? 3 is best for ease of dialling in using the interface in the amp.

1 is the cheapest....

Man, this is hard...

Thanks for your advice in advance.
G


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:37 am
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I have the M2. Fuse is very easy to use but I’m wishing I had sprung for M3. Not because of any sort of disappointment in quality but quite simply for the front panel accessibility both now and down the road. In my situation, I have the Amp set up in my living room and for me its sometimes annoying to have to hook up my laptop an fire up Fuse just to tweak a couple things. A full on preset party is another thing. The other thought I had was years down the road will fuse even be running on Mac OS Billy Goat? I’d imagine by then I might have a different amp anyway but the front panel would make it more usable years down the road if for some reason fuse becomes an end of life product and you can’t run it on a current OS… just a thought.

But… I do LOVE my M2 so there’s that. I’d at least spring for the extra few watts and larger cone.

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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:52 am
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Valid points, thanks captainc....is can you do most of what you can do on fuse on the panel for version 3? Is that manageable for home use....? I live in an apartment and don't want to upset neighbours or my wife.... :)


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:55 am
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Speakers matter. Get 3 or even 4 if possible.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 8:56 am
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stratrat wrote:
Valid points, thanks captainc....is can you do most of what you can do on fuse on the panel for version 3? Is that manageable for home use....? I live in an apartment and don't want to upset neighbours or my wife.... :)


3 and 4 can sound good at low volume. the preset volume control is very responsive.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 9:55 am
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I'm in the same boat as you- an apartment dweller with neighbors (to avoid annoying too much!).

I can honestly say, that the MIII is NOT too loud for apartment use. Remember- these are digi/solid state amps, not tube- so there's no need to crank them up to get them to sound good. I own a V1 MIII, and it sounds very good at low volume. You still have a headphone out, too.

As someone else already replied, the speaker and cab DO matter when it comes to your sound. The MIII has a better speaker (Celestion G12T-100), and a larger open backed cab. This has the effect of making the amp less directional, and spreads the sound out a bit. ( it also helps it "get" the sound of many of the classic Fender amps- which were open back.) It still gets plenty of bass and punch, though! If you prefer the closed back sound, you can simply place it against a wall, or fashion a back out of a board and some velcro.

The user interface is precisely WHY I bought the Mustang III over the 1 or 2. No need for a computer to tweak or save stuff! You also get an fx loop with it, and the 2 button footswitch. There are very few things that REQUIRE you to hook it up to Fuse to be able to do, and I've never actually bothered. It really helps me to be able to see the LCD screen- telling me which preset I'm on, which amp model, what effects are being used and whether they're on or off, and with a press of a button you can see all the settings of each.

Imo, it's worth the extra money, and if your needs change in the future it's plenty loud enough to rehearse or gig with.

Believe it or not, I actually have a harder time keeping my 15 watt Super Champ X2 at a reasonable volume level than I do with my 100 watt Mustang!


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 7:03 pm
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I'm another of the apartment dwelling M-3 owners. The main reason for my choosing the 3 over the 2, not being dependent on fuse and a laptop. The headphone jack solves the neighbors and my families quality of life issues and I get to hear every bit of effect and amp model.
Others have posted that the M-3 is very gig worthy, and it's size and weight makes it easy enough to haul around.
HTH,
John.E


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:03 pm
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I went with the III because of the better speaker and better control panel. My usual way of using the amp is to tweak with the control panel. I'll typically only use Fuse for experimentation or loading presets I've downloaded. I liked my friend's G-DEC which has good controls... the II seemed like a big step backwards.

I don't live in an apartment but the master volume usually is at 3 or 4 for my living room playing. I could see opening the windows and going to 5 when I want to tick off my neighbours :)

Someone mentioned the IV but that's just stupid big. The III is a good size for moving between rooms. I wrestled with the III vs. IV decision because my local store has either model for the same price. I'm glad I chose the III.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Mon Sep 16, 2013 10:25 pm
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An M1 is fine for home, plenty loud and to me sounds good. I doubt you'd get to push a 2 much, never mind a 3, to the point where the larger speaker makes the sort of difference it's able too. But that's going to be subjective.

As for the interface, it depends how much you wants to mess with Fuse and set up your preset banks. For me, Fuse can be a massive time sink, about all I use it for a visualisation of where the preset settings are.

It also depends on how you're going to use it. I only use the classic Fender and Vox models anyhow, as the others sound crap to me. They're gainy models and don't back off, or clean up well IMO.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:43 am
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If you are not going to connect it to a PC go straight for the M3.
If you need more than one stomp/footswitch (2 preset) at your feet go straight for the M3.

If you dont care about the footcontroller and will edit your preset with a computer and fuse, go for the M1.

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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 4:52 am
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unless the budget is the consideration, go with the M3.

to say it's overkill, (100W) - I'm on the fence with that one.

It's better to HAVE to extra UMMMPH and not need it,

than to need it and not have it..

Plus: The LCD for the control interface is much easier to work with.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:15 am
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There is no bad info in any of the responses here...

For me, I can live with the limited interface on the M2 because I like the presets I use most often, but I still keep a notebook connected because to adjust anything other than master volume is just too annoying on the amp. If I were gigging professional there would be no question as the LCD and footswitch options make the 3-5 so much more useful on the battlefield.

Yes, by now I seem to be playing more than tweeking...

I'm on the fence on a power recommendation. I've never turned up the master volume past '5' and I couldn't get far enough away from it. So even the M2 can be considered too loud for home use. On the other hand, these amps seem to want the master to be around 4 for the richness to come out - that's why I had I turned up to '5', it sounded much better than at 3. Adjust the preset volumes and advanced master volume control to scale it all down so you can have the master volume at a reasonable level and all will be fine.

Speakers! Bigger is better? Open or closed?

If you're not strapped for cash...M3 is your next amp.

Cheers.

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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 3:15 pm
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I've got an MII - and it's great. Fuse is good too. But I should have got an MIII !
Using Fuse is not that quick - I'm sure the LED system can be operated faster.
Taking a laptop when jamming with friends is a PITA.
(OTOH I know the wife would complain about an even larger amp).


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 6:26 pm
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I should add that I'm colour blind and fighting the differentiation between LED preset colours on the II was a big factor in avoiding that model. I can separate most colours well but red/green/amber LEDs can be a problem for me.


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Post subject: Re: Question, advice needed on choice between Mustang 1/2 an
Posted: Tue Sep 17, 2013 9:30 pm
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adiabatic wrote:
I should add that I'm colour blind and fighting the differentiation between LED preset colours on the II was a big factor in avoiding that model. I can separate most colours well but red/green/amber LEDs can be a problem for me.


I have the same problem with my M1 and Bronco. I have to count from either end to know which bank I am using. A white and blue LED with any of the other 3 colors would have worked for me. Being red/green color blind, especially with little brilliant lights, is just useless for me. Still like the amps.

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